History, Ch. 1 Reading & Discussion Questions

Name: _____________________________

Doing History, Ch. 1 Reading & Discussion Questions

Answer the following questions based on the reading in your own words. Any direct quotes from the reading need to be in quotation marks with the page noted.

1. Responding to the section on “what history is not,” do you think that history repeats itself or that there are constants in history? Have you heard any misconceptions about history from friends or family members or have any of your perceptions about the past changed from reading and studying history?

History doesn’t repeat itself because no two things that happen throughout history will be the same. The people experiencing the events are different and have different experiences. There are just too many factors that need to be in line for an event to repeat. A misconception I’ve heard from friends is that history is mostly memorization of dates and specific facts. Looking at history in that way doesn’t allow people to truly understand what happened in the events of our past.

2. What does it mean to see history and time as “linear”? What problems might arise from viewing the past that way?

The events that create history happen in series of stages one after another. The past and present are going to be different and it is hard to relate the past to the present. Circumstances and people change over time so it is hard to relate the past to the present.

3. Of the different approaches to history explored in Chapter 1, what approach do you like best and why? Which approach does not interest you and why?

I like Von Ranke’s approach by using the scientific method and empirical evidence. I think the best way to learn history is to observe actual artifacts or documentation from that period. Alfred Crosby and William Mcneill have approached history using a narrowed lens. I don’t like this because when looking at history I tend to look at it with an open point of view, looking at multiple aspects.

4. Why is collective memory and identity important to understanding the past? Can you think of another example besides the ones given in the reading about when issues over identity have led to historical change?

Collective memory is important because it allows historians to gather information about an event from multiple perspectives. People may experience an event in different ways, so it would be good to achieve evidence from multiple sources.

5. Thinking about history and time and place, what do you think are the three most important historical developments and why? (be specific about time and place)

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